Neck shots

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Well-Known Member

I know all the books recommend the heart/lung shot, but alot of people seem to endorse the neck shot if it is at a suitable range & the shooter is confident of his markmanship.
Has anybody got a diagram that shows the correct areas for shot placement ,as my books only refer to it but there are no diagrams.
or maybe someone can recomend a suitable book that shows it.
Does anybody have any advice for a newboy.

Thanks needsy.
Ps.May I wish you all A merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.

Well-Known Member

I for one don't like neck shots, but I practice them just incase one is needed! My preference is a low neck shot at the 'Meaty' end. More to go at and easier than top neck shots. I have done only a couple and they were good shots, the first was because the ass hole I was stalking with insisted on it even though I was buying the meat! It went well but when I reached the deer it was starring back at me. I didn't like that, I like to see deer's eyes looking into the next world not holding on to this one. I think that you need to know how to neck shoot well and also how to handle your feelings when it goes wrong.

Many will feel different about this, but for me thats it. Some people will also say that if you can't manage a neck shot you shouldn't be stalking. Nothing in life is set in stone. I used to pride myself in my accurate shooting, at the moment I'm having to relearn those skills. Never take anything for granted my friend!

Well-Known Member

My only advice for a newboy, (I regard myself as one as well) is only take a neck shot when and if you are confident in what you are doing and if the need arises to take the extra risk. No-one can answer that question for you.
You will get a lot of people condemn neck shooting and yet in experienced hands it is more common that a chest shot. If you are culling a large number of animals then the difference in game dealer value is significant and hence why they often take mainly neck shots.
For those of us that only take animals for ourselves, family and friends and rarely send them to the game dealer then I feel a neck shot is unnecessary. I was convinced that I should be neck shooting and when I tried it, I was not confident and missed. I have not taken a neck shot since.
I butchered a fallow pricket this morning and reckon that I probably wasted about 1.5lb of meat with a chest shot. Small price to pay for clean kill with a larger margin for error.

This question shows itself in many ways over previous months and I am not sure how honest some of the answers have been in the past. Lets not feel that we will be over examined on what we say and try to be as straight and true as we can.
I would be very interested if there is an diagrams to show the ideal POI for a neck shot.
Cheers
Andy

Well-Known Member

Thanks for the replies, I'm not looking to go out & neck shoot beasts, but I was interested in the area that a stalker would aim for.
The heart/lung shot seems a fairly large area that is easily identified from most angles.
I would think that the neck is a different matter, I would imagine that there are areas where a bullet may pass through without being fatal.
I'm just interested to see what sort of size/position that this shot would require & how easily identified it would be from different angles.
It would be interesting to see actual target areas , so that I can understand, when people talk about neck shooting & learn a little bit more.

Account Suspended

I have neck shot quite a lot of deer over the years and don`t have a problem with it so long as it is done properly!

When i have done work for the forestry commission and done the skills tests before sarting, i have been asked if i would neck shoot a deer and when i repiled YES, there wasn`t a problem with it so long as it were safe etc. Obviously these shots should only be taken with experience and at a relatively close distance.(YES !!! I know, The Forestry Commission, a bone of contention with some).

I hold my hands up to shooting big a stag after the rut in the neck and it set off running up the hill when i could have done with it running down the hill towards the van. It collapsed dead at the top and it then took me 2 1/2 hours to drag it down, serves me right i suppose.

Well-Known Member

In previous years have always gone heart/lung with no problems to speak of.This season have been shooting with experienced stalker who preferred me to take neck shots if possible .I have to say that although scepticall at first I am now totally happy with the neck shot .I have shot 20 or so reds in the last few weeks at varying ranges all with complete success .I consider a good neck shot far humane than the heart/lung one .
Its only my opinion ?

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Well-Known Member

l have been stalking quite a few years now and still do not advocate neck shots as l have said before l can count the number of neck/head shots taken probably on one hand its nothing to do with confidence or marksmanship its purely personal choice, on my main bit of local stalking the landlord even asked me not to take such shots and that suits me fine, l certainly would not advise any newcomer or inexperienced stalkers to take such shots there is much greater scope for error, the shooter is not in the position to know what the animal is about to do.

Account Suspended

A lot of it depends on how quick you can get down and pull the trigger, and as a guy who has done contract work, you have to learn fast to earn your money, so you really do have to take the best shot at the time, which does include neck shots. Imagine a deer walking through bullrush where the only thing you can see is from its shoulder up!!!, do you take the shot, or let it go.?

PLEASE, before people start to critisise contract work, someone has to do it, so it might as well be someone who is gonna do it properly.

Administrator

This is an old chestnut and those two old chestnuts, Mark and Malcolm, have covered it nicely. There is not a lot more to say. I am usually of the opinion if you are asking what you are doing is wrong, then really you know it is. However, dont forget that needsy was only looking to study up on deer anatnomy to give himself more information, and that is a good thing.

Neckshot's? cirumstances will dictate and will include a lot of factors, with the shooter, with their amassed knowledge and skill, being at the top of the list.

Well-Known Member

I have taken quite a few head neck shots and heart lung shots. As has been mentioned experience counts and if everyone is being truthful you learn by your mistakes.
In summary and taking games dealers preferences aside if its 75m plus go heart lung. If less neck/head depending on how settles the beast.

The cockup factor is much higher on the neck/head area so be warned. I worry about novices bragging about head shots (usually have tactical scopes with BDC's etc) as though its the 'Gold Standard' of shooting skill.
I passed up a nice fallow buck on Wednesday as the neck shot was oh so tempting but the wounding risk too great. Some people will learn from their mistakes and others just keep repeating them.

Administrator

Taking neck shots on any deer is always a risky business. Having said that if you are a professional stalker, or contractor you should have the knowledge, professional judgement and skill to be able to take a neck shot at a reasonable range (up to 100yds) depending which species you are hunting, over this distance you really are pushing your luck in my opinion.

Neck shots should not be taken as a matter of course, they should only be taken if you have no other option, and you have a cull to complete under difficult conditions, or the animal is wounded and you need to resolve the situation. I do not advocate begginers or those with limited experience taking neck shots.

But even a professional taking neck shots will come unstuck eventually. If you have stalked long enough, and culled enough deer, it will happen one day.

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Putting it into perspective, for DSC1 you are expected to achieve a grouping of 4" or less, with let's face it not a great deal of pressure on you at the time, and some find that difficult!!
Now imagine a real neck shot on that living breathing beast in front of you, after you have just belly crawled, or hiked up hill, dale or down. Now you're shaking from all the effort of getting into position and the nerves are playing up. But you must, simply must! be able to achieve sub 1" grouping potential with your first shot.
Be ruthless with yourself and fair to the deer, if there's the slightest doubt at all, leave it or wait for a broadside.
I find neck shots to be a combination of the most worrying and most rewarding shots going, I will take them but only if absolutely sure that I can land it, and again if there is no alternative likely to present itself.

Thanks for that link Mark H, my Swedish isn't too hot but I think I got the idea.

Administrator

Nothing to do with thread really but, how did this happen. The last two entries I read were from Mark and Malcolm, I then made a entry which referred to these old boys. Now looking at the site again it appears that I made my entry before the other two, I was not even at home when Malc made his entry! I have not had a drink, promise, but this could drive me to it.

Well-Known Member

Its that bloody time/space continuum again. Tricky thing. Same sort of wierdness where you cant possibly have missed that neck shot at 25m . Sorry sold all my tracking dogs.

Lessons from the Field II

By the way if you do neck shoot and the beast drops like a sack of spuds DO NOT congratulate yourself but reload quickly and safely keeping your eyes on the beast AT ALL TIMES and approach it immediatly with a view to a second finishing shot. This applies to a shots where the animal drops to the shot. Otherwise it may run away while your lighting your rollie.